Kashf-e hijab (Persian: کشف حجاب‎‎ Unveiling) is an era in Iran's history. On 8 January 1936, pro-Western autocratic ruler Rezā Shāh issued a decree banning all veils (headscarf and chador) abruptly, swiftly and forcefully. The government also banned many types of male traditional clothing, claiming that "Westerners now wouldn’t laugh at us".